Food Network chef Robert Irvine, host of “Restaurant:Impossible,” held no punches when dealing with a local eatery.
The show will be airing on Food Network:
7 p.m., Nov. 25
1 p.m., Nov. 27
7 p.m., Nov. 30
Irvine called McShane’s Restaurant in DeWitt, at the corner of Molloy Road and Kinne Street, the most “horrendous place” he had ever faced as host of the show which performs make-overs on failing restaurants.
But now the restaurant, famous for its half-chicken, has been transformed into a European pub, complete with German steins and brighter colors, thanks to the chef and the $10,000 he used to rehab the restaurant.
“Something had to change,” said Cindy Baker, of Cicero. She has owned the restaurant for 14 years since purchasing it from the original McShane’s owner.
Baker applied for the show in the spring after seeing much of her business at what she calls the “working-man’s bar” diminish as local factories let go of their work force in the Carrier Circle corridor.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ll never get picked, but what the heck?’” she said. “ I couldn’t get ahead, and it was getting worse and worse.”
The show initially denied her application, but producers called three weeks later to send out a scout to the location. In late August, Irvine and crew set up shop at the restaurant, working to revamp the kitchen and dining area.
Baker did make one request of the show — incorporate her German heritage into the new plans. Her famous chicken dish, the McShane’s chicken, is a recipe given to her by a friend and restauranteur in Germany. Samples of Baker’s recipe were pitted against master chef Irvine’s recipe at the New York State Fair in August; Baker’s secret recipe was the decided winner in the contest.
“I beat him at his own game,” Baker joked.
By the restaurant’s unveiling, the kitchen was given a thorough cleaning. Dark walls were painted blue and two walls were covered with clocks. German steins were placed in a shelving unit between the dining room and the bar. The bar was given a nice wood finish, with lit shelves highlighting liquor choices.
“They gave it the flair I hoped for. It definitely feels more like me,” Baker said.
Baker jokes that the restaurant is like the Bermuda Triangle: McShane’s is an Irish name, owned by a German woman, serving a popular chicken dish.
“I love it; they tied everything together,” she said.
Since the show’s transformation of McShane’s and the initial airing of the episode Nov. 9, business has picked up at the restaurant and additional operating hours have been added.
“It’s been crazy good,” Baker said. “We need to save up to buy another fryer because we’ve been selling tons of chickens.”
Lunch sales have more than doubled and the restaurant has opened for dinners, Tuesday through Saturday. On Mondays, McShane’s host a traditional wing night.
“Things have changed all around,” said chef Arthur Robinson, of North Syracuse. Robinson was hired as a part of the show, under Irvine’s suggestion, to replace leadership after seeing the state of the kitchen.
For recipes from the show, check out the Restaurant: Impossible page here.
“The quality has increased and the staff has taken more pride in their work,” he said. “It’s almost like opening a brand new restaurant.”
The most important thing for Baker, though, hasn’t been the new decorations or the tweaked menu. It was saving the restaurant she has poured her heart and financials into for the last decade.
“I’m reenergized,” she said. “I love to go to work, and I don’t feel like I have a huge burden on my shoulders anymore.”
